Post by str8fan12 on Mar 30, 2008 12:02:03 GMT -5
This guy sounds like he is a real fan:
George Strait fills Oracle Arena with hits
By Jim Harrington
Bay Area News Group
Article Launched: 03/29/2008 09:47:20 AM PDT
Most musicians have a hard time culling together enough worthy songs to fill up a 2-hour set list. George Strait has exactly the opposite problem.
On Friday, the royal one played all the hits that time allowed during his well-received show before roughly 14,000 fans at Oracle Arena in Oakland. That added up to 28 songs, including such up-tempo oldies as "The Fireman" and "Ocean Front Property" as well as such familiar ballads as "The Chair" and "Amarillo By Morning."
There's simply no way that this 55-year-old Texan could play all of the big fan favorites in a single evening.
There's really no mystery to why they call him "King George." Nearly every indicator points to Strait being the most successful country musician of all time.
During his 27-year run, the country crooner has notched more No. 1 hits - a mindboggling 55 - than Elvis Presley, the Beatles or any other artist in history. He's also posted 32 different platinum/multi-platinum records, which places him just behind the other King on the all-time list. Those achievements have helped him score a combined 144 Country Music Association (CMA) and Academy of Country Music (ACM) nominations in his career, which again places him comfortably ahead of the pack.
At Oracle, his great 11-piece Ace in the Hole Band appeared first at 9:15 p.m. - taking the square stage, set up in a typical "in-the-round" configuration on the arena floor - and started to blast away some rowdy Western swing. Then Strait entered the picture, wearing a big black cowboy hat, a tucked-in long-sleeve Western shirt and Wrangler jeans, and walked slowly through the crowd on his way to meet the band. The bright spotlight was on him as he sauntered toward the stage, yet the overall impression - as usual - was that Strait was simply one of the people.
Part of Strait's appeal has always been his ability to portray himself as a regular Joe. The singer, as well-decorated as any in music history, comes across like a neighborly guy who you might invite over for a barbecue or to watch a game.
Strait is not known, however, as one of the more exciting performers in country music. But if you want fine vocal work, solid musicianship and a no-nonsense "get-r-done" mentality, Strait's your guy.
Kicking off the show with the rowdy "Honk If You Honky Tonk," and then moving at an appropriate pace through such popular offerings as "I Hate Everything" and "Check Yes or No," Strait simply sang the songs for what they were worth, kept the talking to a bare minimum and utilized arrangements that were consistent with the studio albums. The theatrics, if you can call them that, were limited to making eye contact with the fans, flashing that million-dollar smile and steadily moving between four microphones to allow each side of the arena to get a better view.
If that's boring, I'll take two.
Perhaps most significantly, Strait is showing no signs of slowing down in his third decade in the spotlight. Indeed, his star is arguably shining brighter in 2008 than ever before.
His most recent accomplishments are as impressive as any on his lengthy resume. For example, Strait's 2006 release, "It Just Comes Natural," was recently certified platinum, won the CMA Award for Album of the Year in November and helped Strait score a league-leading eight nominations at the upcoming ACM Awards. He also has a new album, "Troubadour" (in stores Tuesday), and yet another smash single in the religious number "I Saw God Today."
The country star mixed in a few of the newer numbers into the set and they stacked up well next to such old favorites as "I Can Still Make Cheyenne" and "Heartland."
It looks as if Strait's main problem - the problem of having too many hits to play in one night - is only going to get bigger.
Wow! This is some review -- I totally agree with everything this guys said, especially the part that I highlighted in Red.
Gotta LOVE THIS COWBOY!
George Strait fills Oracle Arena with hits
By Jim Harrington
Bay Area News Group
Article Launched: 03/29/2008 09:47:20 AM PDT
Most musicians have a hard time culling together enough worthy songs to fill up a 2-hour set list. George Strait has exactly the opposite problem.
On Friday, the royal one played all the hits that time allowed during his well-received show before roughly 14,000 fans at Oracle Arena in Oakland. That added up to 28 songs, including such up-tempo oldies as "The Fireman" and "Ocean Front Property" as well as such familiar ballads as "The Chair" and "Amarillo By Morning."
There's simply no way that this 55-year-old Texan could play all of the big fan favorites in a single evening.
There's really no mystery to why they call him "King George." Nearly every indicator points to Strait being the most successful country musician of all time.
During his 27-year run, the country crooner has notched more No. 1 hits - a mindboggling 55 - than Elvis Presley, the Beatles or any other artist in history. He's also posted 32 different platinum/multi-platinum records, which places him just behind the other King on the all-time list. Those achievements have helped him score a combined 144 Country Music Association (CMA) and Academy of Country Music (ACM) nominations in his career, which again places him comfortably ahead of the pack.
At Oracle, his great 11-piece Ace in the Hole Band appeared first at 9:15 p.m. - taking the square stage, set up in a typical "in-the-round" configuration on the arena floor - and started to blast away some rowdy Western swing. Then Strait entered the picture, wearing a big black cowboy hat, a tucked-in long-sleeve Western shirt and Wrangler jeans, and walked slowly through the crowd on his way to meet the band. The bright spotlight was on him as he sauntered toward the stage, yet the overall impression - as usual - was that Strait was simply one of the people.
Part of Strait's appeal has always been his ability to portray himself as a regular Joe. The singer, as well-decorated as any in music history, comes across like a neighborly guy who you might invite over for a barbecue or to watch a game.
Strait is not known, however, as one of the more exciting performers in country music. But if you want fine vocal work, solid musicianship and a no-nonsense "get-r-done" mentality, Strait's your guy.
Kicking off the show with the rowdy "Honk If You Honky Tonk," and then moving at an appropriate pace through such popular offerings as "I Hate Everything" and "Check Yes or No," Strait simply sang the songs for what they were worth, kept the talking to a bare minimum and utilized arrangements that were consistent with the studio albums. The theatrics, if you can call them that, were limited to making eye contact with the fans, flashing that million-dollar smile and steadily moving between four microphones to allow each side of the arena to get a better view.
If that's boring, I'll take two.
Perhaps most significantly, Strait is showing no signs of slowing down in his third decade in the spotlight. Indeed, his star is arguably shining brighter in 2008 than ever before.
His most recent accomplishments are as impressive as any on his lengthy resume. For example, Strait's 2006 release, "It Just Comes Natural," was recently certified platinum, won the CMA Award for Album of the Year in November and helped Strait score a league-leading eight nominations at the upcoming ACM Awards. He also has a new album, "Troubadour" (in stores Tuesday), and yet another smash single in the religious number "I Saw God Today."
The country star mixed in a few of the newer numbers into the set and they stacked up well next to such old favorites as "I Can Still Make Cheyenne" and "Heartland."
It looks as if Strait's main problem - the problem of having too many hits to play in one night - is only going to get bigger.
Wow! This is some review -- I totally agree with everything this guys said, especially the part that I highlighted in Red.
Gotta LOVE THIS COWBOY!
